NUMBER OF YOUNG SMOKERS IN STATE RISES

Young adults age 18 to 24 were the only age group that increased their smoking rate from 2010 to 2011, according to a statewide report released Thursday by the California Department of Public Health.

The report shows that while only about 12 percent of all Californians smoked in 2011, a total 14.6 percent of young adults lit up, compared with 12.3 percent in 2010.

The report also showed a year-over-year increase in the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors.

According to the report, undercover teens working with law enforcement statewide were able to purchase tobacco products at 8.7 percent of stores surveyed in 2012. That number is up from an all-time low of 5.6 percent of stores in 2011.

Irene Linayao-Putman, manager of San Diego County’s Tobacco Control Resource Program, said the report reinforced trends she had been following.

New marketing by tobacco companies is behind the increase in young adult smoking rates, she said.

“The cigarette companies are going into a lot of bars now, and they’re trying to get the young adults there,” she said.

Promoters, she said, convince patrons to scan their driver’s licenses in order to get free swag like T-shirts.

“Once they’ve convinced them to scan their IDs, they’ve got their information. The marketing has really only switched, and they’ve got new targets,” Linayao-Putman said.

She added that undercover tobacco purchases have risen more quickly in the county than they have statewide.

“We get numbers that look a lot worse than what the state is finding,” the program manager said.

The report attributes the increase in sales to minors partially to the proliferation of places where youths can buy cigarettes and other types of tobacco. Currently there are 36,700 licensed tobacco retailers in the state.

Linayao-Putman said that tobacco sales have not been limited to licensed establishments. Undercover surveys have also found unlicensed sellers in the region.

Colleen Stevens, branch chief of the state’s tobacco control program, said tobacco is also coming in new forms that weren’t available even a few years ago.

One relatively new product called “snus” is a form of smokeless tobacco in a small tea bag-like pouch. The package is tucked under the lip and delivers nicotine through the gums.

According to the report, snus sales have exploded in recent years. The product went from being available in less than 1 percent of stores in 2008 to 39.5 percent in 2011.

“These allow people to stay addicted. For kids, they could put them in their backpack and even use them in the classroom,” Stevens said.

He added that many new tobacco products are not subject to many of the regulations placed on cigarette sales and advertising.

And advertising, the report states, continues to target certain socioeconomic groups. Generally, those who earn less money tend to smoke more, the report states.

Stevens said future anti-smoking ad campaigns and other outreach programs in the state will focus heavily on demographic groups, including African-American and Latino men, shown to have the highest rates of smoking.